For the Love of Summer
by insaneantics21
Summary: When Rachel signs New Directions up for Lima's summer softball league she doesn't expect it to be one of the most memorable summers of her life.
1. Chapter 1

This was born out of a passing comment made by my LJ buddy, **madndizzee**. I just kind of pushed the idea out of my head because I was working on Forever Begins with the Ocean's Tides at the time and then got back into the Puppy-verse. I was going through my prompt list the other day because I needed something other than Puppy-verse to work on for a bit to get some variety and this idea made me grin like an idiot because I absolutely love softball. It ended up in a completely different direction than I originally intended but I really do love it and I hope you do, too =)

Title is a play off of the movie title For the Love of the Game.

* * *

**-Part 1-**

"A what?" Puck asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"An amateur softball league!" Rachel said with a grin. "It would be a fantastic team-building exercise for the summer! We'd be competing against other teams from around the area and it would be very beneficial to keeping us all in shape and working together as a team so we can continue to be a tight-knit group throughout the summer and don't lose touch."

It was the last day of school and the last glee club meeting and Rachel Berry, diva of the stage and the last person anyone expected to be interested in sports, had just dropped the bomb that she'd signed up the twelve person group to Lima's sixteen and up summer softball league.

Santana scoffed. "No way, Man Hands. Softball's for lesbos and I'm not into that."

Everyone turned their heads to look at the Cheerio who, at that moment, had Brittany's head in her lap and was playing with the blonde's ponytail.

"Seriously?" Quinn raised her eyebrows.

Kurt smirked. "You might as well get a buzz cut and convert your entire wardrobe to flannel, Santana. We all know you and Brittany are really gay for each other."

"Shut up, Hummel."

"I think it would be fun," Brittany said, looking up at the Latina. "It would totally be fun."

Santana growled. "Fine, we're in."

Matt and Mike both shrugged.

"Might as well," Mike said.

"We don't have anything to do until football camp anyway."

"Wonderful!" Rachel bounced a little. "Artie? Kurt? Mercedes? Tina?"

"Girl," Mercedes rolled her eyes, "you are nuts. I don't _do_ sports."

"You have a hell of an arm, though," Kurt mumbled. "My windshield can attest to that."

"What would I do?" Artie asked.

"You could still play, Artie. I checked the rules and it says that anyone over sixteen can join and if the league officials have anything to say about it I will simply contact the ACLU. With your upper body strength I am sure you would be an excellent batter. Or you could be a statistician and bat boy. Or perhaps a hydration specialist."

"A hydration what?"

"Water boy," Finn piped up. "And I think it sounds like a great idea. I'm in!"

Artie shrugged. "Sure."

"I guess," Tina said. "Sounds like it might be fun."

"Kurt? Mercedes, come on."

Kurt sighed. "I might as well. But I am designing the t-shirts."

Rachel nodded. "The league officials ask that we submit a design by the end of the week so they can have them printed. The only color left was…" Rachel's eyes darted to the four football players. "Pink."

Puck, Finn, Matt, and Mike all groaned.

"Fine," Mercedes huffed. "But I swear if I break a nail, you are toast."

Rachel grinned and her eyes darted up to Quinn who was looking down and picking at her fingernails. The silence ticked on and everyone's gaze eventually landed on the blonde. It had been seven weeks since her daughter was given up for adoption and everyone was aware that Quinn wasn't the old Quinn anymore. She'd moved back in with her parents and dropped even further from her image as head bitch in charge and had become almost anonymous.

Rachel cautiously approached the blonde and sat down in the seat next to her.

"I think you would have a lot of fun, Quinn."

"Whatever," the blonde sighed. "If it will get me out of my bedroom I don't really care."

Rachel smiled and put a hand on Quinn's shoulder. "I'm glad you're doing it."

Quinn rolled her eyes. Rachel jumped back up and re-took her place at the front of the room.

"So, we're all in? Noah?"

"As long as there are other chicks there."

"Wonderful!" Rachel grabbed a stack of papers on the piano and handed out a packet to each club member. "These are the practice and game schedules and also a waiver absolving the league of any responsibility for personal injury that must be signed by a parent or legal guardian since we're all under eighteen. Mail them to the address listed, please. First practice is this Thursday at two o'clock down at the baseball fields. I've reserved field number three for the afternoon. I have already picked up our equipment from the league officials."

"This is very good, Rachel," Mr. Schuester said. "I think you're right, it will keep you guys tight-knit for the summer. Make sure I get a copy of your game schedule so I can be there! Have a great summer you guys."

The club was dismissed and Rachel handed a copy of the schedule to Mr. Schuster before she went to Quinn who was staring warily at the door.

"You don't want to go home, either?" the brunette said.

"Why wouldn't you want to go home, Berry? I bet your two gay dads are waiting to throw you a party."

Rachel shrugged. "They're fighting right now. Daddy's been sleeping on the couch. I keep begging them to reconcile because the tension isn't good for my nerves."

"Try living with it for sixteen years."

"I can only imagine. Would you like to go to Dairy Queen? It's always been a tradition that my dads take me there on the last day of school but I doubt that's going to happen today."

"I…you know, why not? I'm already with you at the bottom of the social ladder. It can't hurt me anymore to be seen with you in public."

"I'll overlook the insult in light of the fact that you said yes."

Rachel and Quinn sat silently across from each other at the Dairy Queen, Rachel with a mint chocolate chip blizzard and Quinn with a small hot fudge sundae. The blonde occasionally smiled at the brunette, Rachel figured it was Quinn's form of a 'thank you' for paying for both of their treats.

"I've been trying to figure out what positions everyone should play in," Rachel said to break the silence. "One of the boys should pitch, I think, since they're the only ones with real athletic experience."

Quinn glanced up and furrowed her eyebrows. Rachel panicked a little.

"Not to say that being a Cheerio isn't athletic!" the brunette scrambled. "Of course you have to have skill and body coordination and you had a rather extensive workout routine. But pitching requires more hand-eye coordination and visual-spatial skill. Or so I've read. I…I actually don't know anything about sports other than the research I've done to find a suitable activity for all of us. I thought about basketball but it would end up being the four jocks and maybe Santana or Brittany on the court and none of the rest of us would have a chance to participate. A softball team requires nine players which is good because it leaves us with reserves and league rules say we can rotate out the positions and everyone gets to bat whether they play that inning or not."

"Did you ever just say one word? Like…were you born talking in paragraphs?"

"My rather extensive vocabulary is due to…"

Quinn sighed.

Rachel shrugged. "Probably."

That earned her a giggle from the former Cheerio before she stopped herself and dug back into her sundae.

"I guess I'll see you on Thursday," Rachel said as the pair slowly walked out to the parking lot, headed for their respective vehicles.

"Yeah, I guess you will."

"If you'd like to perhaps participate in an activity together before then I wouldn't object."

Quinn quirked an eyebrow. "Just ask me like a normal person, Berry."

Rachel nodded. "Quinn, would you like to…hang out sometime?"

"I'll call you," Quinn said, turning to her car door.

"Do you have my number?"

Quinn dug her cell phone out of her pocket and pressed a few buttons, she held up the phone and Rachel read her name on the screen.

"I feel honored that it's not listed as 'Man Hands' or 'Treasure Trail'. Also that it's listed under 'friends'."

Quinn quickly shoved the phone back in her pocket and opened her door. "I'll call you."

Rachel smiled. "Thanks for coming with me."

"Thanks for buying." Quinn dropped into her car and shut the door.

Rachel opened her door and gave a wave to the blonde, Quinn nodded and drove away.

Much to Rachel's shock, Quinn did call her and they did hang out a few times during the next couple of days. Once they joined Brittany and Santana at Denny's for dinner and went to a movie, another time it was just the two of them and they watched TV at Rachel's, and the third time they went to Kurt's to get his t-shirt design and to the sport shop to turn it in and place the shirt order and then out shopping because Rachel insisted she needed something other than her two sets of gym clothes from school to play in.

When Thursday came around Rachel was of course the first person at the fields. She pulled the heavy bag of equipment out of her trunk along with her clipboard and a book she found in the library about amateur softball. The small brunette began dragging the heavy bag toward the field she had reserved. Out of nowhere the bag got lighter and she turned around to see Quinn holding up the other end of it.

"Thank you," Rachel said brightly.

Quinn nodded and the pair managed to get the heavy bag into one of the dugouts. Rachel began rifling through the equipment and pulling out the bats, balls, helmets, and the few gloves.

"I don't think this will be enough," Rachel said, looking at the four tattered gloves. "I would guess the only people that have them are Finn, Noah, Matt, and Mike. I'll call Finn to see if he has extras."

Slowly, the rest of the glee club started showing up, Finn brought his three extra gloves and Mike brought his own bag with more extras. Santana and Brittany were the last to arrive and Rachel groaned.

"You can't wear your Cheerios uniforms to play softball. And it's the summer, shouldn't those be in Coach Sylvester's office?"

Brittany shrugged.

Rachel growled. "Do you have anything else with you that you could change into?"

Five minutes later Santana and Brittany returned in shorts and t-shirts and Rachel gave a satisfied nod.

"Okay, _coach_," Mercedes said. "What now?"

Rachel flipped through her book to the first chapter.

"It says we need a place to practice, we have that. Equipment, check. At least nine players, check. Here it says we should…"

"Are you kidding?" Puck grabbed the book out of Rachel's hands. "If we're gonna do this, let someone that knows what they're doing do the coaching."

"The field is yours, Noah."

Puck smirked and traded places with Rachel.

"Warm-ups!" Puck growled.

The team stretched and ran a few laps of the bases before they scrambled to get gloves and pair up. Rachel made sure that those with athletic experience were paired up with those who didn't. The first time Finn threw the ball at her she shrieked and ducked. By the third throw she was still shrieking but managed to bat the ball away with the back side of her glove.

While Finn was chasing the ball after Rachel threw it completely over his head for the umpteenth time she looked over at Quinn who was paired up with Matt. The blonde was doing surprisingly well, Rachel noticed. She threw the ball right at Matt and only flinched a little when she held out her glove to catch, but at least she was catching it.

"Rachel, heads up!"

Rachel turned just in time to see a ball coming right toward her.

When the brunette regained consciousness she was surrounded by eleven glee clubbers and her head was throbbing.

"Did it hit my nose?"

"No, just your head," Finn said. "I'm really sorry, Rachel."

"It's okay," Quinn said with a smirk. "Berry's got a thick skull."

Rachel grumbled and Mike offered her a hand to pull herself up. She was a little dizzy once she was upright but it was gone in a few seconds and she smiled chipperly.

"What next?"

Once the four jocks compared notes on who was good at throwing and catching they assigned everyone to a position. Matt at first base, Brittany at second, Puck at short stop, Finn at third, Mike pitching, Santana catching, and the rest would take turns in the outfield.

Puck picked out the smallest bat in the bag for Rachel and tossed her a helmet. She pulled it down over her head and cautiously made her way to the two boxes on either side of home plate. Mike was waiting on the pitching mound with a pile of softballs.

"Which one do I stand in?" Rachel asked Finn, who was behind the plate for the time being so he could coach the batters. Santana was currently standing in at third.

"Are you a righty or a lefty?"

"Right."

"Stand in that one." Finn pointed to the box on his left.

Rachel nodded and stood in the box and tried to remember what the pictures had shown when she had looked up baseball on the internet. She spread her feet apart and looked nervously at Mike and held up the bat.

"Just like that, Rach," Finn said. "Okay, when I tell you to, just swing."

Rachel nodded and Mike tossed the ball.

"Swing!"

Rachel closed her eyes and swung with all her might. She felt the bat fly out of her hands and she immediately opened her eyes again and watched it fly right over to where Santana was standing on third base. Santana screamed and ran away, Rachel covered her mouth with both hands and shrieked.

"I'm sorry! Oh my gosh, Santana! I'm so sorry!"

"If you do that again I swear to God I'll kill you, Berry!"

Puck walked over and picked up the bat from his position at short stop and jogged in to hand it to Rachel.

"Try to hold on to it this time."

Rachel nodded and took her stance again. This time when Mike tossed the ball and Finn yelled swing Rachel did and she felt the ball connect with the bat and watched it fly a little and land just in front of Puck. She shrieked and jumped up and down, Puck threw the ball to Matt at first and Finn chuckled.

"When you hit it you have to run, Rach."

"Oh…I got a little excited."

"That's okay. Just remember, anytime you hit it take off running to first." Finn pointed to Matt. "When we play in the game I'll be there as base coach to tell you to either stop or keep going."

Rachel nodded. "What now?"

"Let someone else bat."

"Okay!"

Rachel pulled off the helmet and put it back on the bench and put her bat with the others before grabbing her glove. Finn motioned for her to stay with Artie in the dugout while Quinn took her turn at bat.

"I think it's going quite well," Rachel told Artie.

"You almost killed Santana."

Rachel rolled her eyes and watched Quinn stand in the box and take the same stance she had. She didn't miss the way Quinn's arms flexed in the tank top the blonde was wearing. She cleared her throat and shook her head a little and clapped.

"You can do it, Quinn!" Rachel cheered.

The blonde looked over her shoulder and shook her head. She turned her attention back to Mike. The first pitch was high, Quinn didn't swing. The second pitch was outside. On the third pitch Rachel watched Quinn's shoulders twitch as soon as Mike let go and the blonde swung. The sound of the ball hitting aluminum echoed and the softball went flying over Puck's head and dropped in the grass. Quinn took off running and Rachel jumped up and down. Tina, from left field, got to the ball first and threw it to Brittany. The ball missed and went past the blonde, Quinn touched second and rounded it. By the time Matt got to the overthrown ball the blonde was standing patiently on third with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Nice hit, Quinn!" Rachel shrieked.

Quinn smiled a little.

"Rachel!" Finn called. "Go stand where Tina is."

Rachel nodded furiously and grabbed her glove. She jogged out to left field and gave a bright smile to Tina as she walked in to bat. Tina hit the ball on the first try, Brittany grabbed it and threw it to Matt and Tina was out. She took a seat on Artie's lap and everyone on the field gave a simultaneous "awww".

Finn grabbed a bat and motioned for Tina to get behind the plate and catch. Rachel shifted nervously and held out her glove. When Finn hit the ball it hit the ground a few feet in front of her and rolled right to her. Rachel grabbed the ball and looked around, entirely unsure of where to throw it. Puck yelled "second" so Rachel threw in Brittany's direction with all her might and fell over. She heard a scream and scrambled back up, Puck was holding his nose and blood was gushing out. Rachel shrieked and ran to him.

"Berry," he groaned. "You're gonna kill someone."

"I'm so sorry Noah…"

Mercedes shook her head. "This was a bad idea."

"No, no," Finn assured them. "It's fine. We just need to practice a little more. Puck, go sit out and Santana, you take short stop. Quinn, you can get on third and I'll go back and catch. Kurt, you go to center, let Rachel go to right and Tina can go back to left. Mercedes, you're up to bat."

The rest of the practice ran somewhat smoothly. Rachel didn't do much of anything but stand there.

"Next practice is Saturday, same time, same place," Rachel reminded everyone as they started to pack up their things. "First game is Tuesday at five on field one. We're going up against Gillis Chiropractic."

Everyone nodded and headed to their vehicles, Puck took the softball equipment with him in his truck. Quinn stayed sitting in the dugout looking out onto the field. Rachel joined her on the bench and sighed.

"I think it went quite well…except for me getting hit…and almost hitting Santana…and possibly breaking Noah's nose."

Quinn chuckled. "You're such a dork, Berry."

"Would you want to do something tonight? Assuming you don't have plans with Santana and Brittany, that is."

"I'm pretty sure they have plans with each other and they're not the kind that I want to be involved in."

Rachel nodded. "I fully understand. Would you want to come over and watch a movie? I think Daddy bought a new box of popcorn."

"I should probably go home and shower. I'll come over after I'm done."

Rachel grinned.

When she got home the brunette immediately took her own shower and took some ibuprofen to combat her sore head. There was a very large bruise and a knot about the size of a quarter showing up. She went through all of the movies she could find and decided on a few that would not only be entertaining but might help her understand the concept of baseball and softball a little more since she rarely ever saw a game. She selected _A League of Their Own_, _Field of Dreams_, and _Pride of the Yankees_ and put them out on the coffee table in front of the couch that was in the basement. She sprinted up the stairs when the doorbell rang, her Dad let Quinn in and the blonde smiled and thanked him.

Rachel took Quinn to the kitchen and they got popcorn and soda before heading downstairs. Rachel gestured to the movies she'd picked out and Quinn shook her head.

"You're really into this aren't you?"

"I thought they could be informational."

"This one," Quinn said, picking up _A League of Their Own_. "It's funny. I used to watch it with my sister."

Rachel nodded and stuck the DVD into the DVD player and dropped down on the couch.

"You were really good today, Quinn," Rachel said while the DVD went through its copyright warning screens. "You were the best girl out there."

Quinn shrugged. "Most of my cousins are boys. I always played baseball with them."

"I believe that having a strong female on the team will be inspirational to the rest-"

Quinn reached up and clapped her hand over Rachel's mouth. "I got it, Berry. I'm good."

Rachel nodded and the blonde pulled her hand away. "You should play for the school team."

Quinn laughed. "The look on my mother's face would be priceless. They kicked me out for being pregnant, do you honestly think they'd let me stay if they thought I was a lesbian?"

"But you're playing now."

"They think co-ed is different. Obviously if there are boys around I can't be gay. That's the only reason they signed that waiver."

"That's slightly…"

"Twisted? I know." Quinn looked back to the TV screen and Rachel hit play.

By the time the movie ended Quinn was asleep with her head on Rachel's shoulder and the brunette wasn't sure what to do. First of all, she was sure she might be crushing just a bit and so she was definitely enjoying the moment of closeness. Second of all she figured Quinn wasn't getting much sleep anymore judging by the fact that it wasn't even eight o'clock yet and she was already snoring. Her problem was remedied when Quinn shifted and her eyes fluttered open.

"'s the movie done?" the blonde yawned and sat up.

"Yes but I was perfectly content to let you sleep. I'm not sure you should drive home, you're very tired."

"Mkay." Quinn leaned back over and settled her head on Rachel's shoulder again.

"Would you like me to drive you?"

Quinn shook her head. "Not really."

"Would you like to stay here?"

Quinn nodded. "I hate it there."

"I'll show you to the guest bedroom," Rachel said softly. "You're welcome there anytime."

Quinn took Rachel's offer seriously. She didn't even entertain the idea of going back to her own house until Saturday when Rachel suggested that Quinn get her own clothes from her house so she didn't have to keep borrowing the brunette's. Rachel didn't complain at Quinn's lack of interest at going home.

Saturday practice went much more smoothly than Thursday. Puck had a splint on his nose and every time Rachel swung or threw a ball everyone flinched a little. They all got used to their positions and the four jocks were even slightly impressed. Artie elected to be the bat boy and statistician. Brittany shocked everyone by out-hitting Puck. After practice the four jocks collaborated with Artie to come up with the batting order for Tuesday's game.

Rachel finally convinced Quinn to go to her parents' house that evening to get what she needed. When the blonde showed up at Rachel's door step with her huge duffel Rachel just shrugged and Quinn went upstairs to what Rachel now considered to be Quinn's room. Rachel watched from the door as Quinn furiously shoved things in her dresser and tossed shoes in the closet.

"Is everything okay, Quinn?"

"They didn't even notice I was gone. I walked in the door and they didn't ask me why I haven't been home or called since Thursday. They don't care. I told them I was leaving and didn't know when I'd be back and you know what I got, Rachel?" Quinn stopped and sat back on the floor, back against her bed. "I got a nod and a 'don't use your credit card too much.' That's all."

Rachel slowly crossed the floor and sat down next to her friend. Quinn looked over at her and Quinn's red eyes and her tears immediately reminded Rachel of the conversation they had just before sectionals.

"They don't care about me unless I do something they want me to do. They hate me if I do something they don't like. Otherwise they just don't care. Santana and Brittany don't care anymore…Sometimes I wonder what the point is."

"I care," Rachel said softly.

Quinn leaned over and rested her head on Rachel's shoulder and sighed.

"Sometimes I want to leave. Just…get in my car and go."

"Where?"

"Anywhere but here."

"Normally I wouldn't object to a road trip but we have a game on Tuesday."

Quinn chuckled and sat up. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and smiled. "You're such a dork, Berry."

"You've mentioned that."

"Thanks…for this."

"It's what friends are for, right?"

"Real friends, anyway."


	2. Chapter 2

**-Part 2-**

Rachel picked up the team t-shirts before she and Quinn went to their first game on Tuesday evening. When she said pink, she meant it. The shirts were fluorescent pink with Kurt's design of "New Directions" printed on the front and each of their first names printed in block letters on the back. Everyone huddled in the dugout on the third base line and watched as the Gillis Chiropractic team warmed up on the field.

"This is like the time we saw Vocal Adrenaline at their invitational," Kurt gasped. "I thought this was an amateur league."

"It is," Rachel sighed. "I guess they're just really good. Don't be discouraged, though! We're batting first!"

Everyone groaned.

"Hey guys!" Mr. Schuester appeared out of nowhere behind the dugout. "You guys excited?"

Another groan and a few mumbles.

"Everyone's just a little nervous, Mr. Schuester," Rachel said. "But I believe we'll do just fine."

Brittany went up to bat first and managed to hit a single and get on base but just barely. Matt followed and got an out when he hit a pop-fly to the short stop. Finn hit a double to the outfield and then Puck drove Brittany home with another base hit. Mike hit another pop-fly and it turned into a double play when Finn got caught between third and home.

"Good job, everyone!" Rachel praised as the batters shuffled in. "I told you there was nothing to worry about!"

Mike's very first pitch ended up in a home run for Gillis Chiropractic because the ball went to right field where Rachel was and she completely panicked and threw it in whatever direction she could and it landed still in the outfield between first and second. Matt and Brittany ran at the same time to get it and collided with each other and Santana missed the ball when Matt finally threw it to her because she was laughing so hard. The rest of the inning wasn't much better and New Directions finally made the third out on a pop up to Mike but not until the other team scored their fifth run.

"We might as well forfeit now to spare ourselves the humiliation," Kurt said.

"Shut your trap, Hummel." Everyone looked at Quinn and she growled. "What? So we're not the best in the league, who cares? At least we're doing something other than sitting at home playing freaking video games." Quinn grabbed a helmet and held it out. "Who's up?"

Santana grabbed the helmet and on her way out of the dugout Puck smacked her ass. Brittany lunged for him but he fought her off.

"Just watch, okay?" Puck gestured to a very furious Santana who was striding to the plate.

Santana hit a double into the outfield. Mercedes was up next and hit the ball between first and second base, Santana managed to get on third but Mercedes was out when the ball got back to the first baseman a split second before she touched the base. Quinn shoved a helmet onto her head and stormed out of the dugout. She took her stance and Rachel swore she could see Quinn's shoulders tense through her shirt. The blonde swung hard on the first pitch and missed completely. The second was low. The third was inside and Quinn had to jump out of the way. Rachel held her breath at the fourth pitch and watched Quinn swing and ball connected with bat and the blonde took off running. The ball landed somewhere beyond the left fielder who had been playing shallow. Quinn ran hard and rounded first, then second, Santana scored, Mike stopped Quinn at third and the entire team cheered.  
Rachel shook nervously as Puck pushed her out of the dugout. She grabbed her bat and slowly walked up to the plate. She looked over at Quinn and the blonde smiled at her.

"You can do it, Rach," Quinn called. "Just hit it and run."

Rachel nodded and took her stance. The first two pitches were high and the catcher mumbled something about a midget. Rachel growled and gripped the bat a little tighter. She swung at the third pitch and missed, same with the fourth. The fifth was once again high. As the pitcher wound up Rachel took a deep breath and when she saw the ball come toward her she smiled a little and swung as hard as she could. She felt the ball connect and immediately dropped her bat and ran, not watching that the ball had skipped between the shortstop's legs. Finn stopped her at first. She grinned when she got there and jumped up and down a few times, Quinn flashed a smile from walking to the dugout after having scored and gave her a thumbs up. Rachel was stranded on base as the last two outs came with Tina and Kurt.

The other team scored only four runs that inning and New Directions did everything they could to keep up. There were minimal problems the rest of the game and Rachel actually got the ball to go to her destination when she threw it to Brittany in the fifth inning. They still lost pretty badly with a score of 19-8 but Rachel was proud and the team agreed to go to Denny's to celebrate making it out of the game alive.

The practices were getting easier and Rachel thought the team was actually getting kind of good. She didn't hurt anyone on Thursday or Saturday and everyone stopped complaining so much. By their next game against Lima Dental Associates they were pumped and ready to go. Rachel lost focus after the third inning because she'd scored a run and New Directions was actually ahead, 5-3. However, because Rachel was so excited she missed a ball that was hit right to her and it landed about three inches away from her feet. She panicked and completely missed her throw and three more runs scored. New Directions lost again, 10-7.

"We're getting better!" Rachel tried to argue. "Winning isn't everything!"

"Never thought I'd hear that out of your mouth," Santana said with a smirk. "Whatever, Berry. It's no big deal."

In their third game against Team Pick-n-Save they were tied 5-5 in the bottom of their last inning and the other team was up to bat with two outs. The woman had already hit three times right at Rachel and so the brunette was ready for her this time. She was holding her glove out and as soon as she heard the sound of ball hitting aluminum she looked up and there it was and before she knew it there was a pain in the palm of her hand and she gripped tight and looked at her glove at the fluorescent yellow sphere.

"I did it!" she shrieked. The brunette dashed in from right field and was met and surrounded by her teammates. "What now? Do we play more? It was tied, we play more, right?" Rachel started firing off questions.

"I don't know," Finn said.

Everyone looked to the umpire who was walking off the field.

"Hey!" Puck yelled. "It was tied, we have to play another inning!"

"Not in this league. A tie is a tie." The man walked off the field toward the concession stands and everyone was silent for a minute.

"We didn't lose!" came simultaneously from everyone. They scrambled to get their things together and met at Denny's for a big celebratory dinner. Rachel didn't miss that Quinn kicked Tina out of her chair to sit next to her.

"Don't forget," Rachel said as everyone got up to go pay their checks, "no practice on Thursday or Saturday, and no game on Tuesday because of Independence Day."

"And party at my house Saturday night," Puck said.

"Noah, doesn't your mother ever know about these parties?"

"She takes my sister to see our relatives or whatever in Cleveland for Fourth of July weekend."

Rachel nodded. "I'll see if Quinn wants to go."

"You got a thing for her?"

"No!" Rachel hissed, a little too loudly and insistently.

"Whatever, Berry. It's cool. Can I watch you make out?"

"You're disgusting. If she wants to go to the party we'll be bringing our own non-alcoholic drinks, by the way. So don't even think about it."

...............

"So what should we do this afternoon?" Rachel asked Quinn when Thursday came. "It's supposed to rain."

The blonde shrugged and clicked through a few more channels. "What do you want to do?"

"Well there are board games or movies. We could go bowling or perhaps we could…"

"I want to go for a drive," Quinn said suddenly. "Just…a drive."

"Okay. Where?"

"Anywhere. Let's just go."

An hour later it was pouring down rain and Rachel could barely see out her windshield. She spotted what looked like a gas station and the first building they'd seen in miles and so she pulled into the little gravel parking lot. A closer look at the building revealed it was abandoned. Quinn reached for her door handle and Rachel squeaked.

"You can't go out there! What if there's a crazy hobo hiding in that building! Or someone with a chainsaw!"

"We're laying off the serial killer movies."

Quinn got out of the car but instead of running for the building she shut her door and just walked back toward the road. Rachel scrambled to get the umbrella out of her back seat and she got out and followed the blonde.

"Quinn, you can't stand in the middle of the road!"

"Berry, we haven't seen a car for thirty miles. I think it'll be fine."

"At least come under the umbrella."

Quinn smiled and walked over to Rachel. She huddled underneath the umbrella and locked eyes with the brunette and smirked.

"Don't hate me," Quinn whispered.

Rachel quirked her eyebrow. Quinn reached up and pushed the button to make the umbrella fold up. Rachel shrieked and Quinn grabbed the umbrella before the singer could do anything. She chased the blonde around the parking lot and out into the road then back to the parking lot. Rachel yelled, Quinn laughed and started running circles around Rachel's car.

"It doesn't matter now, you're already wet!" Quinn giggled. She opened the car door and tossed the umbrella in. "Just enjoy it. I know you like to dance so just…dance in the rain." Quinn jogged back out into the middle of the road.

Rachel sighed and reluctantly followed. At least it was a warm rain. Quinn held her arms out and spun around in circles. Rachel watched and pretended not to notice Quinn's soaking wet t-shirt and the way it clung to her body showing all of her curves. She swallowed hard when she felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. She put her focus back on Quinn's face but that wasn't much better. With the beads of water rolling down the blonde's forehead and cheeks Quinn looked absolutely beautiful.

Quinn stumbled a bit when she stopped spinning and Rachel caught her arm. The blonde smiled down at her and Rachel felt her pulse start racing.

"I think it's starting to let up," Rachel said with a nod.

"Dance with me."

"Okay."

Quinn wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist and the brunette slipped her arms up around Quinn's neck and they swayed to the sound of the rain hitting pavement. Quinn tilted her head back and smiled up at the sky. When she finally looked back down she slowed the swaying to a halt and her arms stayed where they were. Rachel swore she saw the girl's face get closer.

The brunette swallowed hard and closed her eyes and just as she felt the tip of Quinn's nose touch hers there was a blaring car horn and the blonde pulled away. They both shrieked and ran back to the gravel parking lot.

"We should go," Rachel said looking at the ground. "My dads are probably worried."

Rachel opened her trunk and pulled out two blankets to drape over the car seats on the ride home.

...............

Quinn didn't bring it up and neither did Rachel. All Rachel knew was that Quinn Fabray was about to kiss her and she really wished she would have gotten the license plate number of that car so she could find and smack the driver. Things were almost normal between them through the weekend. They went to Puck's party and agreed to stick close together so Puck wouldn't try anything. It rained again on Tuesday and Rachel had to snap Quinn's attention back to the Scrabble board more than once because the blonde was looking longingly out the window.

Thursday's practice was brutal. Rachel didn't realize how quickly she could actually get out of shape and Puck had been demanding in their workouts.

"I'd at least like to win one," he said when Mercedes complained.

"You didn't like the idea in the first place," Rachel noted.

"Yeah but if we're gonna do something then we better do it right."

Rachel was pretty sore the next morning, Quinn seemed to be her usual bouncing self. When Rachel dropped to the couch in the basement next to the blonde and groaned Quinn just laughed.

"You should be used to working those muscles by now."

"Not these muscles," Rachel said. "My shoulders are killing me."

"Turn around, back to me."

Rachel obliged and Quinn gripped onto Rachel's shoulders and pressed her thumbs deep. Rachel groaned and immediately relaxed and let Quinn work out the knots and the soreness. Quinn's thumb grazed the bare skin on Rachel's neck before she pulled away and the brunette shuddered. She turned around and smiled shyly.

"Thanks."

Quinn nodded. "Anything good on TV?"

Rachel shrugged.

Quinn flipped through the channels and finally turned off the TV and tossed the remote on the table.

"Why are you doing this, Rachel?"

Rachel snapped her head to the side and whimpered then rubbed her neck a little. "What?"

"This. Letting me sit here on your couch and live in your house and eat your food," Quinn turned her head to the side. "Why?"

"We're friends, aren't we?"

"Since when?"

"I…I don't know, really. Why did you accept my offer?"

"I had nowhere else to go."

"That's not true. You could've gone to Brittany or Santana or even Kurt."

"No I couldn't." Quinn crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes you could have, you just didn't want to. You chose to come to me."

"You _chose_ to let me come here."

"Because we're teammates and I care about you. Do you think I don't know what it's like to be alienated, Quinn? Don't forget the way I've been treated my entire life. I know what it's like to not know who your friends are or if anyone cares about you. Despite the way you've treated me for the past few years I don't wish upon you anymore alienation than you've already suffered."

"So it's a pity thing?"

"No, my friend needed someone to be there for her. So here I am. Take it or leave it."

Quinn narrowed her eyes and smiled. "You have 'Take Me or Leave Me' stuck in your head right now, don't you?"

Rachel blinked. "You can read minds? And more importantly, you've seen _Rent_?"

"No, I just know you. And yes, I've seen it. But only the movie version."

"The traveling cast was in Columbus one year, I saw it there. And I own the movie, of course. And Daddy got me an autographed poster on e-Bay for my birthday."

"You're such a dork, Berry."

"You really need to come up with new insults, Fabray."

Quinn looked down at her lap and picked at her nails. "It's not really an insult."

"Last I checked, 'dork' was an insult."

"No, 'geek' or 'nerd' would be an insult."

"So what's the difference?"

Quinn snapped her head up and stared directly into Rachel's eyes and Rachel saw the girl swallow hard and smile a little.

"Dorks are cute."

Before Rachel had a chance to respond Quinn had jumped up off the couch and scrambled up the stairs. Rachel sat with her jaw open and her heart racing. She hopped up off the couch and dashed up the stairs, Quinn was nowhere to be found. She went through the kitchen and living room. Her Daddy finally told her that Quinn had left. Rachel quickly slipped on her shoes and ran out the front door. Her sprint was stopped short when she tripped over Quinn on the front steps and went flying face first into the front yard.

"Rachel!"

Rachel groaned and sat up. She spat out the mouthful of grass and dirt and Quinn was hovering over her a second later.

"Rachel, are you okay?"

"I think so. Why are you sitting on the front porch?"

Quinn shrugged. "I didn't have shoes on so I couldn't really go running and my keys are in my room."

"Why did you run?"

"Because I was scared. When I get scared I run."

"You have no reason to be scared of me."

Quinn sighed. "Yeah, I do." She turned on her heel and went back into the house.

Rachel blinked a few times and growled at Quinn walking away yet again. She hoisted herself up off the ground and her first stop was her bathroom to rinse the dirt taste out of her mouth and to brush her teeth. She stood outside Quinn's bedroom door and heard nothing but silence. She twisted the handle and pushed it open, the blonde was sitting in the middle of her bed staring at the door.

"Why are you scared of me?" Rachel crossed the floor and hopped up onto the bed.

"Because you're kind of intense."

"That's never scared you before."

"I didn't like you before."

"Oh." Rachel looked down at her lap.

"I would've kissed you if that car hadn't come."

"I would've let you."

Rachel gasped when Quinn put her fingertips underneath her chin and guided her head to look back up.

"What if I kissed you now? Would you still let me?"

Rachel nodded. She was really glad she'd brushed her teeth before this. She closed her eyes and again the tip of Quinn's nose touched hers only this time there was no car horn. Just soft lips against hers and a warm tongue darting out to pass over her bottom lip and silently ask for permission. Rachel opened her mouth and her tongue met Quinn's halfway. Quinn moaned a little and pulled Rachel a little closer and deepened the kiss a little more, Rachel tangled her fingers into blonde hair. Quinn was the one to pull away and Rachel slowly opened her eyes and attempted to read the expression on Quinn's face.

"Quinn?"

"I really want to do that again."

..............

Rachel had trouble focusing during Saturday's practice and she blamed Quinn entirely. The blonde was whistling at her from the outfield and the dugout. Rachel missed three perfectly good pitches and Quinn could do nothing but giggle.

"God you guys," Santana growled when they were on water break, "be more obvious that you did it, please. I dare you to try."

"Santana!" Rachel shrieked. "We did not as you so eloquently put it, 'do it'! And if we had 'done it' then it would've been none of your business."

"That is so hot," Puck said with a grin. "You guys should make out. Like…right now."

"Noah, you are disgusting."

Rachel decided to get a little revenge on the blonde so she gave Santana $10 to tell Finn she wanted to sit out and Rachel eagerly took the Latina's place behind the plate. When it was Quinn's turn to bat the second that Mike wound up Rachel smirked.

"I love your ass in those shorts."

Strike one.

"Rachel!" Quinn hissed. "That…" she giggled. "Throw the ball back!"

Rachel tossed the ball at Mike and squatted down again. Mike wound up.

"Your thighs look really kissable right now."

Strike two.

Quinn growled but it quickly turned into a giggle when Rachel smiled innocently. The brunette tossed the ball back and Mike wound up once again.

"I wonder what your tongue feels like when it's somewhere other than my mouth."

Strike three and Quinn threw the bat on the ground and pulled Rachel up by the collar of her shirt and kissed her.

"Holy shit," Puck groaned.

"Mail! Oh God! Mail!"

Rachel pulled away in time to see Finn run off the field.

"Practice is done!" the short brunette yelled. "Game is at seven thirty on Tuesday, field four!"

"What'd you do that for?" Quinn asked with a smirk. "I was fine with playing for another hour or so."

"You don't want to go back home and make out for an hour?" Rachel shrugged. "Fine, I'll call it back on."

"You're such a dork, Berry."

...............

New Directions' next game was against M C Sporting Goods and although everyone expected to get completely slaughtered because duh, it's a sporting goods store, they kind of sucked. They were tied in their records each with two losses and a tie. New Directions scored five runs in the first inning and Santana borrowed Rachel's trick she'd used against Quinn when the other team started gaining on them and after that it was strike after strike. The bottom of the final inning had them tied, 7-7, with Mike up to bat and Matt on third. Mike's hit was perfectly landed in the outfield and Matt ran home. The entire team was in disbelief. They'd just won their first game of the season.

"That was so amazing!" Rachel shrieked as she bounced out of the bathroom after her shower. "It was like when we won sectionals! We should do this next summer, too! We would be even better by then, I'm sure."

Quinn smiled up from thumbing through a magazine while sitting in the middle of Rachel's bed after her own shower. "We should."

"You played amazingly, by the way."

"So did you, Rach. You've come a long way from getting hit in the forehead."

Rachel giggled and situated herself next to Quinn and leaned her head on the blonde's shoulder.

"I hate that we only have three more games."

"I hate that we have to go back to school."

"Why? School won't change anything, will it?"

"I'll have to go back to my parents. They have to sign stuff and get me registered. They'll know I'm gone because I won't be talking about Cheerios practice."

"You're going to re-join the Cheerios?"

Quinn shrugged. "I'll still be in glee club."

"What about us, though? I mean, Brittany and Santana can get away with it because both of them are Cheerios but if any of them knew you were…we were…together…"

Quinn smiled and tilted Rachel's head up to kiss her forehead. "I don't want to worry about it right now. I just want to have a good summer, okay? We'll worry about us right now, not them."

Rachel pulled away. "It'll be just like this summer never existed, won't it? You'll be civilized but you'll go along with whatever the Cheerios want you to do because you give in to peer pressure easily. You won't want to be seen with me in the hallways."

"It won't be like that."

"Is this real or is it just a fling to you, Quinn?"

Quinn slipped her hand behind Rachel's neck and pulled her in for a searing kiss. Rachel completely had her breath taken away and she gripped onto the blonde's shoulder. When Quinn pulled away she stared deep into Rachel's eyes.

"It's real, Rachel. You and me, it's real. This, us, right now, it's all real. Don't screw it up by assuming things about me. High school isn't real. It's just…there. I don't want to think about it."

"And your parents?"

Quinn was silent.

"We'll wait," Rachel said. "We'll just…get through the summer."


	3. Chapter 3

**-Part 3-**

Unfortunately, Rachel noticed the summer was going by quite fast. Practices were the same as always and they won the next two games. Their final practice before their final game lasted longer than all of the others because no one wanted to leave. They played for hours and by the end of it Rachel was sore and very sunburned having accidentally forgotten sunscreen.

"Ow…ow…ow…" Rachel whimpered with every step from the field to her car. "Oh my God I can't move my arms to get the door open."

Quinn chuckled and opened the passenger door. Rachel carefully dropped to the seat and squeaked a bit when she leaned back and her shoulders hit the seat. Quinn shut her door for her and got into the driver's side and took them home.

"I'll rub aloe on it later. You need to take a cold bath first."

"I never sunburn," Rachel sighed. "I've never, ever gotten one."

"Yeah, you always use sunscreen."

Rachel growled. When they got to the Berry house Quinn helped her upstairs and dropped to the bed.

Rachel soaked in the cool bathwater to relieve some of the burning on her skin. She thought about their last game on Tuesday and how she and Quinn had agreed that the blonde would move back to her parents' house in a week. She didn't know what would happen after that, if Quinn would stay true to her word and not let high school bother her or if she would fall back into being a Cheerio and let them run her life again. She hoped not. She hoped that she and Quinn could be something.

There was a knock at the door and Rachel crossed her arms over her chest and called for the knocker to come in since she knew it was Quinn. Quinn waltzed in like she owned the place and Rachel drew her knees up.

"Rach, I was wondering…" Quinn trailed off when her eyes fell on Rachel.

"Wondering?"

"Sorry, do you want me to like…wait? I guess…I mean locker rooms and everything. I'm not really that shy. I didn't really think about it before I knocked. You know what…I totally forgot what I was going to ask so I-I'm just going to go." Quinn nodded furiously and turned.

"Wait, what was it, really?"

"I…" Quinn's mouth opened and closed a few times. Rachel saw the blonde's eyes dart away from hers and down to where she was covering her chest. "I have no idea."

"You just wanted to see me without clothes on." Rachel smirked.

"No, I really did have a question!"

"Okay, pervert!"

"You're such…"

"…a dork, Berry," Rachel finished for her. She stuck out her tongue and Quinn laughed and shook her head.

"I should go and let you finish."

Once Quinn was gone Rachel uncurled her knees and winced a little at the pain. She really, really hoped she still wouldn't be sore after the last game. When she got out of the bathtub she put on her loose shorts and tank top and Quinn was waiting for her in the bedroom with a bottle of aloe. Rachel sat on the edge of the bed and Quinn scooted up next to her. The blonde pulled Rachel's thick hair up into a ponytail and squirted some of the gel out onto Rachel's shoulders.

"That's cold!" Rachel squealed.

"It'll feel good in a minute."

Quinn softly rubbed the gel into Rachel's shoulders and down her arms. She pulled away and Rachel heard her squeeze the bottle and rub her hands together. Quinn's hands settled on the back of Rachel's neck and she moved them around to the front and down Rachel's chest. Her fingertips dipped low underneath the tanktop and Rachel giggled.

"I didn't get sunburned that far down."

Quinn nibbled on Rachel's earlobe. "I know," she said with a giggle.

...............

The final game was against the undefeated WOHN news network team. Everyone took a moment to thank their respective deities that Sue Sylvester wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Okay," Rachel breathed. "We can do this! We've beaten all the odds in glee club, so why not right now?"

"Save it, Berry," Santana said. "We're toast. Last week they beat Pick-n-Save by like fifteen runs."

Rachel sighed and everyone jogged out to their places on the field. Rachel was sitting the first inning out with Mercedes and she made sure to cheer on her teammates. There were three runs scored in the first seven minutes.

"I think that's some kind of record," Artie said, looking down at his clipboard.

"We can come back from that," Rachel assured him. "Santana! Santana! Do the thing!"

Santana looked over at the dugout and shrugged. Next time she knelt down Rachel saw the Latina's lips move. Strike one. Strike two. Strike three. Santana stood and smirked and Rachel gave a thumbs up. New Directions got two more outs quickly, once thanks to Santana and another thanks to Mike being quick and catching a line drive.

By the bottom of the second to last inning the score was surprisingly close, 10-7 in favor of WOHN, and both teams were determined to play their best in the last inning.

"It's not working anymore," Santana said. "They're all ignoring me now. And three of the guys and one of the girls asked me for my number. Creepy since they're all like, old."

"So what now?" Quinn asked. "We can't keep them from hitting."

"What if we make them hit?" Rachel suggested. "Put Noah, Finn, and Matt in the outfield and Mike pitches really good to them. They'll all hit it to the outfield and you guys can catch them. That's an out, isn't it?"

"Holy shit, Berry has a good idea," Puck said. "Let's do that. Quinn, you take first base, Santana at short stop, Kurt at third and Berry, you get behind the plate."

"I believe Tina would be much more beneficial…"

"No way," Tina said. "I haven't gotten to sit out yet. You take this one, Rachel."

Rachel shrugged. The players jogged out to their new field positions and Rachel nervously squatted behind the plate. The first pitch Mike threw was perfect but the batter didn't swing. Rachel shrieked but it hit her glove and she managed to hold onto it and toss it back.

"You should've swung at that," Rachel notified the batter. "It was a perfectly placed pitch."

"The other girl already tried that stuff," the man growled. "Keep your mouth shut."

Rachel let out an offended shriek and almost diva stormed off the field before she remembered that she was playing an actual game. She squatted down low and held out her glove. The next pitch was also perfect and the batter swung and the ball went sailing right toward Puck in center field. Rachel stood quickly and watched him center himself under the ball.

"Out!" the umpire called when the ball hit Puck's glove.

Rachel shrieked again and jumped up and down. She contemplating running to first base to hug Quinn who looked equally as excited but the brunette decided against it, citing that it would be unprofessional.

The next batter, a woman, strode to the plate and smirked at Rachel who politely smiled back. Rachel squatted down and held out her glove. The first pitch was on the outside and Rachel had to reach for it but she was proud of herself that she caught it and successfully got it back to Mike. The second pitch was perfect but the woman didn't swing. Rachel growled. The third pitch was on the inside and it hit the woman in the leg and the umpire called for her to take her base. Rachel groaned and looked over at Quinn who was looking the woman up and down with disgust.

"She could've stepped out of the way," Rachel noted to the umpire. "She simply chose not to so she could advance to first base. That was very unsportsmanlike."

The umpire looked at her like she had three heads and Rachel shrugged and squatted back down. The next batter hit the ball right to Finn to get the second out but the damage was done and the woman had gone to second base. Rachel took a deep breath as the next batter, a man probably in his late twenties, walked up to the plate. He winked at her and she scoffed.

"You're pretty. Want to grab a drink after this?" he asked as he focused ahead at Mike.

The first pitch was perfect but the batter didn't swing.

"I'll have you know," Rachel said as she stood up to throw the ball back, "that first of all, my girlfriend is at first base and she can do quite a bit of damage with a bat as you may have witnessed earlier when she hit the ball into the outfield. Second, I'm sixteen and I am therefore not allowed in bars and third, I am certain that you're well over eighteen which would make that arrangement illegal."

Rachel squatted back down and held out her glove.

"Nevermind," the man said, "you talk too much anyway."

"So I've been told. If your intent was to offend me with that comment it didn't work."

The man just chuckled. He swung at the next pitch and Rachel watched it fly to right field and Matt started running toward the fence.

"Go, go, go, go," Rachel whispered.

Matt dove for the ball and when he stood he brought it with him in his glove Rachel jumped up and down and dashed up the first base line to meet Quinn in a hug.

"We can totally win this," Quinn said with a bright smile.

Rachel nodded furiously and they walked back to the dugout hand-in-hand. Rachel looked over her shoulder at the man who just earned his team the third out and she smirked.

"Okay," Puck said when they got into the dugout. "Batting order is Brittany, Matt, Mercedes, Kurt, Tina, Quinn, and…Rachel."

"We could take the lead before I have to bat, right?" Rachel asked, panicked.

"Yeah, we totally could," Finn said.

Brittany skipped to the plate and watched two balls and a strike go by before she took her swing. The ball flew to the outfield and the blonde took off running, Finn waved her to go onto second and she made it safely, a few seconds before the second baseman got the ball. Matt drove the ball into right field which got him to second and Brittany home and New Directions cheered loudly from the dugout. Mercedes hit the ball and it skipped past the short stop which got Matt to third and her to first but Kurt's ball that was hit right to the second baseman got Mercedes out but a fortunate overthrow from second base to first ensured Kurt was safe and Matt in to score. It was now 10-9 with only one out and things were looking good.

Rachel was shifting nervously in her seat when Tina had a pop fly which earned them their second out. Quinn slid past her and dropped down to kiss the brunette and smiled.

"For luck," Quinn said.

Rachel nodded and watched Quinn take her stance at the plate. Strike one. Ball one. Ball two. Smack! Quinn's hit went deep between the left fielder and the center fielder and Kurt took off running. Puck waved him to stop at third and Quinn made it to second. Rachel nervously grabbed a bat and swallowed hard as she stood in the box next to home plate. She glanced over at Kurt and then to Quinn and thought about the fact that she'd never even gotten the ball out of the infield and how the other team knew that and they were playing their fielders incredibly shallow. She thought about how now she was expected to once again save the entire club with a miracle. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn't know she had been pitched to until the umpire called the first strike. Rachel shook her head a little and waited patiently for the next pitch. Two balls in a row, right at level with her head. She was glad to be short at that moment. Perhaps she could just wait for more bad pitches and let Puck save everyone. She glanced back up at Quinn who nodded at her.

Rachel tightened her grip on the bat and took a deep breath. The next pitch was perfect as she saw it coming and she swung with absolutely everything her small body had and she felt the collision and the vibration up her arms and took off running. She didn't look up until she was stopped at first by Finn and they watched the center fielder run towards the fence to grab the ball off the ground. Kurt made it home and Quinn was rounding third just as the fielder gave a monster throw and the ball flew into the infield. Rachel held her breath and watched Quinn step on the plate just as the catcher had to step far away to catch the wild ball.

"Safe!" the umpire called. "That's the game!"

Rachel shrieked and Finn picked her up and carried her to the dugout where the rest of New Directions was jumping around and screaming. Finn dropped Rachel and Quinn met the brunette with a passionate kiss and lifted her off the ground and swung her around. Rachel clung onto her until Puck and Finn pulled her away and hoisted her up on their shoulders.

"Nice one, Berry," Puck said.

"I know! I've never even gotten the ball out of the infield, I wasn't expecting…"

"I meant the kiss." He smirked and Rachel shook her head.

"You guys!" Mr. Schuster came jogging onto the field as the celebration died down. "That was amazing! You showed really good teamwork! Pizza on me tonight, how's that?"

Everyone cheered again and a trail of cars left the park to go to Pizza Hut. Rachel and Quinn squeezed in next to each other and Rachel's right hand didn't leave Quinn's left for the entire dinner. The team had to be kicked out of the restaurant when they stayed there almost an hour after closing time. When they all finally managed to leave they said their goodbyes and promises that they would have to hang out before school started again. Quinn drove her and Rachel home and after nice hot showers the pair fell onto Rachel's bed and both let out loud sighs. Quinn took Rachel's hand and kissed the palm.

"That was amazing, Rachel. It was like watching 'Don't Rain on my Parade' all over again."

"I doubt I could ever re-create it. Some things are just once in a lifetime experiences."

"But you did it when it counted."

There was silence for a few minutes and the pair heard Rachel's dads shout a "goodnight" as they went into their room. Both girls shouted "goodnight" back and resumed their silence for a little bit longer. Rachel squirmed a little at the thought of how she really would like to celebrate with Quinn but bringing up the subject when they'd barely done anything like that all summer was rather nerve wracking. So Rachel did what she does best and she devised a quick plan and put her acting skills to work.

"There's something I don't understand about baseball," Rachel said. She turned her head to Quinn and furrowed her eyebrows.

"I'm no expert, either."

"I think you could help me with this." Rachel let a devious smile spread across her lips. "You know that metaphors are important to me, hence the gold stars. What I'm wondering is, how exactly does the baseball metaphor apply when there are two girls involved?"

Quinn smirked. "Is this your attempt at seduction?"

"This is my attempt at an educational experience relating to our activities this summer. And yes, seduction as well."

Quinn grinned and rolled over on top of the brunette and straddled her hips. Rachel looked up at the blonde and smiled.

"From what I've learned from unwanted overheard conversations with Santana and Brittany," Quinn said as she leaned down and barely touched the tip of her nose to Rachel's, "first base is the same all around."

"I'm more of a kinesthetic learner," Rachel said. "You'll have to show me by example."

Quinn nodded and pressed her lips against Rachel's and the brunette smiled. She opened her mouth and Quinn's tongue slipped inside and wrapped around Rachel's. It was nothing unfamiliar but knowing exactly what it was about to lead to made Rachel more nervous than she had been going up to bat that night. Quinn pulled away and smiled.

"That is first base."

Rachel nodded. Quinn tilted her head and kissed up Rachel's jaw while her hands moved up Rachel's stomach and underneath her white tank top. Rachel moaned when Quinn's smooth hands ran up over her breasts and pulled the tank top up over her head Rachel sat up long enough for Quinn to discard it and the blond gently cupped her breast in her hand and ran her thumb over the nipple. Rachel gasped and arched into the touch. Quinn dropped her head and kissed down Rachel's sternum to take the other nipple into her mouth and gently nibble on the hard bud and flick it with her tongue. She switched breasts and repeated her motions of gently gripping the nipple in her teeth and tasting the soft flesh with her tongue.

"Second base," Quinn whispered against Rachel's sternum.

Rachel tugged at the shoulders of Quinn's t-shirt and the blonde pulled it off and moved back up to eye level with her girlfriend. Rachel ran her hands up and down Quinn's back and gripped at her shoulders before running her hands around front and taking the weight of a breast in each hand and kneading gently.

"I thought," Quinn gasped, "I thought I was the one giving the demonstration."

"I learn by doing."

Rachel tested her limits by gently gripping Quinn's nipple between her thumb and forefinger and pinching. Quinn hissed and she jerked her hips and rubbed against Rachel. The brunette groaned and arched again. Quinn moved and settled her hips between Rachel's legs and her right hand wandered down the brunette's stomach and inched underneath the waistband of her shorts.

"Is this okay?" Quinn asked before dipping lower.

Rachel nodded. "Please."

Quinn smiled and pecked Rachel's lips. "Third base," she mumbled.

Quinn pulled off Rachel's shorts and underwear and settled back on top of her with her hand between the brunette's legs. Rachel whimpered a little and the blonde pressed two fingers Rachel's clit and the brunette groaned. Quinn ran her fingers in circles around the bud and Rachel was trying very hard to keep breathing. She wrapped her arms around Quinn's back and pulled her in for a deep kiss and Quinn started moving a little quicker and alternating between slowing down and speeding up.

"More…please…please," Rachel begged.

Quinn nodded and slowed down her circles again and Rachel squirmed as Quinn teased her entrance with two fingers.

"How many should I…I mean…you're not…are you?"

"I'm not, it's fine," Rachel assured her.

Quinn pushed two fingers inside her and Rachel groaned.

"God yes," she hissed. "That feels…so good…"

Quinn pulled out and pushed in again, Rachel's hips moved to meet the thrust. Quinn set a slow pace and Rachel quickly got frustrated.

"Faster…please…"

"Sorry," Quinn mumbled against Rachel's neck. "But you feel so amazing…I could do this all night."

Quinn moved a little faster and started kissing her way down Rachel's torso. Chest. Stomach. A lick at her navel. A kiss just below it. Quinn finally settled herself on her stomach and Rachel hooked one leg over the blonde's shoulder and braced herself. Quinn kissed the inside of her thigh and Rachel squirmed. Quinn's fingers kept working inside her and finally Rachel felt the tip of a warm tongue press against her clit and she moaned. Quinn worked the bud with her mouth for a while, flicking with her tongue and gently biting down. Rachel whimpered at the loss of Quinn's fingers inside of her but the feeling of loss was quickly remedied when Quinn's tongue was inside her and her fingers were working her clit. Rachel had never been so on edge her entire life and she tried to hold back to give Quinn more time but when the blonde pinched her clit just a little she came undone and fisted the bedsheets while her hips bucked and she tried to stay as quiet as possible as she groaned and came. She shook and finally collapsed and again felt empty when Quinn pulled away.

Quinn moved back up to eye level with the out of breath brunette and smiled. Rachel smiled a little back and Quinn wiped her mouth off with the back of her hand before kissing the girl beneath her. Rachel tasted the saltiness on Quinn's tongue and it made her wonder exactly what the blonde tasted like and she smiled at her intention of finding out as soon as she recovered.

"Home run," Rachel whispered when Quinn pulled away and kissed her neck.

Quinn giggled. "That good?"

"Yes…very good. If you'll just…give me a minute…I'll practice what I've learned."

"Practice makes perfect," Quinn mumbled.

Rachel grinned and ran her fingers through Quinn's hair and kissed the tip of her nose then leaned in for a soft kiss on her lips. Rachel squirmed a little and Quinn took the hint and rolled onto her back, Rachel followed. Quinn immediately hooked her fingers into her own shorts and started tugging at them.

"Sorry," the blonde said. "They're just really…uncomfortable right now."

Rachel nodded and pulled Quinn's shorts and underwear down and off her legs and tossed them off the bed to join the rest of their clothing. Rachel settled herself back on top of the blonde, her hips in between Quinn's legs, and the blonde smiled.

"Hi," Quinn whispered. She wrapped her arms around Rachel's bare back and the brunette hissed when Quinn dragged her nails down either side of her spine.

"You're so gorgeous, Quinn."

Quinn blushed. Rachel dropped her head and kissed down the girl's neck and settled her right hand on Quinn's hip and the other on her ribcage, just below her breast. She pulled away just enough to run her hand up over the mound of flesh and knead at it gently and she ran her thumb over the pink nipple and watched it harden. Rachel licked her lips and took the other nipple into her mouth and gave it a gentle suck. Quinn let out a soft moan and gasped when Rachel gripped the hard bud between her teeth. While focusing her mouth on the other nipple Rachel slowly dragged her fingernails along Quinn's hip and down between her legs. She dipped her fingers into wetness and ran them up and down and finally pressed two of them firmly against the blonde's clit.

"Oh God…Rach…" Quinn groaned.

Rachel smiled and started moving her fingers in slow circles and kissed her way back up Quinn's chest and nipped at her collarbone and finally looked down into hazel eyes. Quinn clutched her lower lip between her teeth and Rachel kept her gaze locked as she kept circling, moving a little faster every few passes. She could tell Quinn was trying her best to keep her eyes open. She waited until she couldn't stand it anymore and finally slipped her fingers lower and pushed two inside the blonde which sent Quinn's head back and she arched her back and dug her fingernails into Rachel's skin.

"Oh my God this is amazing," Rachel gasped.

She kissed Quinn's neck and thrust again and again. Each time the blonde moaned and Rachel suddenly saw the appeal of wanting to do this all night long. However, she had one more base to round and she was determined that she would get to it. She wanted to taste Quinn more than anything at that moment. Rachel placed a soft kiss on Quinn's neck and started ghosting her lips down the blonde's chest, between her breasts, down her stomach and finally she was flat on her stomach and inhaling the succulent scent that was Quinn Fabray. Rachel darted out her tongue to get a taste and she was immediately addicted. She pressed her tongue flat against Quinn's clit and the blonde let out a melodious moan that made Rachel shiver.

Rachel took her time and worked her tongue around, noting Quinn's reactions when she bit down or flicked or caressed. She kept her fingers pumping and Quinn was holding onto handfuls of the brunette's hair pulling her in closer. Rachel needed more. She pulled her fingers out and Quinn arched her hips and Rachel pushed her tongue inside the girl and Quinn shuddered a little. Rachel darted her tongue in and out and Quinn's moans got louder. Rachel smirked and moved her mouth back up to Quinn's clit and latched on as she plunged two fingers inside and curled them up and Quinn let go and toppled over the edge. Rachel kept thrusting and finally the blonde shuddered one last time before she relaxed and let Rachel's hair fall from her fingers. Rachel smiled and kissed the inside of each of Quinn's thighs before she crawled up next to her and curled into her side.

"How'd I do?" Rachel asked. She wrapped her arm around Quinn's stomach.

"Touchdown…homerun…grand slam…whatever."

Rachel grinned and snuggled in closer and let herself drift off to sleep.

...............

It took everything Rachel had not to cry when they packed Quinn's things into her huge duffel bag and got it loaded into her car. She stood with Quinn next to the driver's side door and held her hands and attempted not to look at the blonde because she knew she'd break down and cry.

"I'll miss you," Rachel finally sighed.

"Come on, I'll be over here all the time, you know that. It'll be like I never left."

"Yes but sleeping without you next to me will be rather difficult."

"You're acting like I'm not going to be a five minute drive away. Come on, Berry."

Rachel shrugged. "It'll be different."

Quinn put her fingers under Rachel's chin and tilted the shorter girl's head up and smiled.

"I'll call you tonight."

Rachel nodded and reached up to kiss her girlfriend.

Quinn was there early the next morning, right when Rachel woke up and she didn't leave until late that night as was the case with almost every single day until school started. The day before they were to go back was spent mostly in Rachel's bed.

"Twelve hours," Rachel mumbled around eight o'clock. "In twelve hours it will all be different."

"No it won't be."

"It'll be like the summer never happened."

"Stop saying that, Rachel. I told you nothing will change."

"Once you put on the uniform your mentality might shift. You'll have your uniform to hide behind like you did before. You're not you when you're in it. Not to mention that the Cheerios have a powerful influence and Coach Sylvester won't allow this to happen."

"You sound like you don't want this. Like you _want_ me to dump you."

"I'm just being realistic, Quinn."

Quinn sighed. "I'll prove it to you, Rachel. I'll prove to you that this summer wasn't a waste."

Rachel nodded but when Quinn said goodbye that night the brunette couldn't help but feel that come the next morning she'd be Man Hands or Treasure Trail or RuPaul again and it would be as if none of it ever happened. She tossed and turned in bed all night and when her alarm went off in the morning she hadn't really slept all that much. She skipped her workout routine and went straight for the shower. She went through her closet and smiled at her bright pink t-shirt and pulled it off the hanger and selected a pair of jeans. She could wear a skirt another day but she wanted one more day that reminded her of summer just in case things had indeed changed.

The brunette nervously navigated through the hallways and said hello to Mercedes and Kurt before she got to her locker. She spun the dial and put away her emergency slushie bag and her backpack. Just as she was double checking to make sure she had what she needed her locker door slammed shut and she jerked her head to the side to see Quinn standing there in her Cheerios uniform with a look on her face that spelled disaster for Rachel. Over the blonde's shoulder was the entire squad of Cheerios. People slowed down in the hallway to watch what they were sure was to be a catfight by the look on Quinn's face.

Quinn smirked down at the brunette and whipped around to face the group of Cheerios, all standing with looks of fear as Quinn glared.

"Listen up, ladies," Quinn shouted. "This," she pointed to Rachel, "is Rachel Berry. Not Treasure Trail, not Man Hands, not Stubbles. Rachel. She's my girlfriend. If any of you have a problem with that then you can run a thousand suicides at practice this afternoon, got it? You go near her with a slushie it's a two mile run and you get drenched in corn syrup every quarter mile _and_ you get to pay the dry cleaning bill. Understand?"

There was a collective nod from the group and murmured agreements before they all turned to go to their classes. Quinn turned back to Rachel with a smile on her face and the brunette was grinning from ear to ear.

"You," Rachel said, "are amazing."

"I told you I would prove it to you."

Quinn dipped her head down and kissed her girlfriend.

"Let's see if we can make the fall as good as the summer, shall we?" Rachel said with a bright smile.

Quinn nodded and linked her arm with Rachel's and escorted her to their first class proudly.

That summer would go down in Rachel's book as most definitely her second favorite summer ever. No matter how many times it was washed that pink shirt always smelled of sunscreen and summer and grass and Rachel always looked at it with a smile. Even when the design on the front and her name on the back were cracked and peeling she never threw it away. It hung in her closet for the rest of high school and in her dorm room in college and in her first apartment next to another pink t-shirt that smelled and looked exactly the same only with a different name printed on the back.

Rachel's favorite summer? The one six years later when she looked at Quinn, blonde hair in soft curls cascading down her back to meet the edge of a white dress, and said "I do". The activity after they changed out of their dresses? A round of softball with their ten best friends all wearing faded pink t-shirts.

**_The End_**

"I can tell you my love for you will still be strong after the boys of summer have gone." - The Boys of Summer by Don Henley


End file.
